A container is disclosed having a plurality of interconnected panels forming sidewalls surrounding a central space. flaps extend from lower sidewall edges and fold along fold lines to form a bottom. support flanges are arranged along upper sidewall edges on oppositely facing sidewalls. The support flanges are oriented at right angles to the sidewalls and provide a support surface allowing the containers to be stacked one atop another without collapsing or nesting within each other. Each support flange is supported by a truss formed by a panel segment extending angularly from the support flange to a support panel biased against the sidewall to which the support flange is attached by a retaining flap extending from an inner sidewall layer. locking tabs at the ends of each panel segment are received within recesses positioned in sidewall panels perpendicular to the support flanges. The container is transformed from a knockdown formed from a unitary blank.
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1. A container upon which another container may be stacked, said container comprising:
a plurality of panels attached to one another along adjacent edges to form a plurality of sidewalls surrounding a central space;
a plurality of flaps extending from said sidewalls to form a bottom;
a support flange attached to a first of said sidewalls along an edge thereof positioned opposite to said bottom, said support flange being oriented substantially parallel to said bottom and having an edge extending inwardly toward said central space;
a support panel positioned in overlying engagement with said first sidewall and facing said central space, said support panel having a bottom-engaging edge;
a panel segment extending angularly from said support panel and attached to said edge of said support flange, said panel segment and said support panel supporting said support flange and preventing rotation thereof toward said bottom, said support flange thereby providing support to said containers when stacked one atop another; and
a locking tab extending outwardly from an edge of said panel segment adjacent to a second of said sidewalls, said second sidewall having a recess for receiving said locking tab, said support flange being lockable into said parallel orientation with said bottom upon engagement of said locking tab with said recess.
20. A container upon which another container may be stacked, said container comprising:
a plurality of panels attached to one another along adjacent edges to form a plurality of sidewalls surrounding a central space;
a plurality of flaps extending from said sidewalls to form a bottom;
a support flange attached to a first of said sidewalls along an edge thereof positioned opposite to said bottom, said support flange being oriented substantially parallel to said bottom and having an edge extending inwardly toward said central space;
a support panel positioned in overlying engagement with said first sidewall and facing said central space, said support panel having a bottom-engaging edge;
a panel segment extending angularly from said support panel and attached to said edge of said support flange, said panel segment and said support panel supporting said support flange and preventing rotation thereof toward said bottom, said support flange thereby providing support to said containers when stacked one atop another, said panel segment being separated from each of said support flange and said support panel by a respective fold line; and
a retaining flap extending from said inner layer of said second sidewall, said retaining flap being positionable at substantially at a right angle to said second sidewall to sandwich said support panel between said retaining flap and said first sidewall, said retaining flap thereby retaining said support panel adjacent to said first sidewall;
wherein a second of said sidewalls comprises an outer layer joined to said first sidewall and an inner layer attached to said outer layer along a fold line, said inner layer having a width less than a respective width of said outer layer.
16. support surfaces useable on containers to permit stacking of said containers one atop another without nesting, said containers comprising a plurality of interconnected panels forming sidewalls surrounding a central space, said sidewalls having flaps extending therefrom and foldable to form a bottom, a first and a second of said sidewalls facing one another in opposing relationship, said support surfaces comprising:
first and second support flanges respectively attached to said first and second sidewalls and extending lengthwise along edges thereof in spaced relation to said bottom, said support flanges each being oriented at a right angle to said first and second sidewalls respectively and having an edge projecting inwardly toward said central space;
first and second support panels positioned respectively in overlying engagement with said first and second sidewalls, each of said support panels having a bottom engaging edge;
first and second panel segments extending respectively from said first and second support panels and respectively attached to said edges of said first and second support flanges, said panel segments and said support panels supporting said support flanges and preventing rotation thereof toward said bottom, said support flanges thereby providing support to said containers when stacked one atop another; and
first and second locking tabs extending outwardly respectively from edges of said first and second panel segments adjacent to said sidewalls, said sidewalls having respective recesses for receiving said first and second locking tabs, said first and second support flanges being lockable into said parallel orientation with said bottom upon engagement of said first and second locking tabs with said recesses.
2. A container according to
3. A container according to
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8. A container according to
a second support flange attached to a second of said sidewalls along an edge thereof positioned opposite to said bottom, said second sidewall being positioned in facing relation opposite to said first sidewall, said second support flange being oriented substantially parallel to said bottom and having an edge extending inwardly toward said central space;
a second support panel positioned in overlying engagement with said second sidewall and facing said central space, said second support panel having a bottom-engaging edge; and
a second panel segment extending angularly from said second support panel and attached to said edge of said second support flange, said second panel segment and said second support panel supporting said second support flange and preventing rotation thereof toward said bottom, said second support flange thereby providing support to said containers when stacked one atop another.
9. A container according to
10. A container according to
11. A container according to
12. A container according to
13. A container according to
14. A container according to
15. A container according to
a cover flap joined to said second sidewall along a fold line parallel and in spaced relation to said bottom, said cover flap being foldable inwardly along said fold line to form a top covering said central space.
17. support surfaces according to
18. support surfaces according to
19. support surfaces according to
21. A container according to
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This application is based on and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/354,419, filed Feb. 5, 2002, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/359,125 filed Feb. 22, 2002.
The invention relates to containers used for packaging, shipping and displaying goods. More particularly, the invention relates to display containers such as corrugated paperboard boxes having flanges to facilitate the stacking of such containers on top of one another.
Display containers, for example, boxes of corrugated paperboard, are widely used for shipping and marketing products. Such containers are especially containers of candy are shipped to the store in stacked form. Store personnel remove the tops of the containers and, in many cases, fold down or remove a side display panel from the container which exposes the candy within the container to view and allows access thereto by the consumer. The containers are then stacked one on top of another on the retail floor for display of the candy to the consumer.
A major problem with stacked containers having open tops and sides is that a container may partially fall into or “nest” within the container beneath it. Another problem is the lack of strength for stacking. All too often loaded containers near or at the bottom of a stack collapse or become misshaped under the weight of the containers above them. This impairs the aesthetic appearance of the display sought by the seller, ruins the products within and requires clean up.
One known container, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,555, provides a shelf like flap to help support a container stacked on top and prevent nesting. This container is configured to automatically pull the shelf into position upon the assembly of the container. One end of the shelf is connected to a side wall of the container to pull the shelf down, the other end being free and typically resting on the top of one of the side walls. While this container provides advantages over other type containers, further improvements are believed desirable. For example, many products, such as candy, are drop loaded into the containers. If the shelf is already in place, this can interfere with the loading process. Furthermore, it has been found that in some uses the free end of the shelf can be forced into the container, creating a nesting problem.
The invention concerns a container upon which another container having similar dimensions may be stacked without nesting of the containers one within another. The container comprises a plurality of panels attached to one another along adjacent edges to form a plurality of sidewalls surrounding a central space. A plurality of flaps extend from the sidewalls inwardly toward the central space. The flaps are positioned substantially co-planarly in one of overlapping and adjacent positions relative to one another to form a bottom. A support flange is attached to a first of the sidewalls along an edge thereof positioned opposite to the bottom. The support flange is oriented parallel to the bottom and has an edge extending inwardly toward the central space. A support panel is positioned in overlying engagement with the first sidewall and faces the central space. The support panel has a bottom-engaging edge. A panel segment extends angularly from the support panel and is attached to the edge of the support flange. The panel segment and the support panel support the support flange and prevent rotation thereof toward the bottom. The support flange thereby provides support to the containers when stacked one atop another.
The invention also concerns support surfaces useable on containers to permit stacking of the containers one atop another without nesting. The containers comprise a plurality of interconnected panels forming sidewalls surrounding a central space. The sidewalls have flaps extending therefrom which are foldable to form a bottom. A first and a second of the sidewalls facing one another in opposing relationship have first and second support flanges respectively attached to them. The support flanges extend lengthwise along edges of the first and second sidewalls in spaced relation to the bottom. Each support flanges is oriented at a right angle to the first and second sidewalls respectively and have an edge projecting inwardly toward the central space. First and second support panels are positioned respectively in overlying engagement with the first and second sidewalls. Each of the support panels have a bottom engaging edge. First and second panel segments extend respectively from the first and second support panels and are respectively attached to the edges of the first and second support flanges. The panel segments and the support panels support the support flanges and prevent rotation thereof toward the bottom. The support flanges thereby provide support to the containers when stacked one atop another.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a display-ready container with improved anti-nesting capabilities.
Another object is to provide a container with anti-nesting capabilities that can be assembled by machine.
Another object is to provide a display-ready container that is economical to produce.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a display-ready container that is easy to assemble and use.
Another object is to provide a display-ready container that can be safely stacked during shipping and display.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned from making and using the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the combinations pointed out in the appended claims.
Flaps 32, 34, 36 and 38 extend respectively from each sidewall 16, 18, 20 and 22 and are folded inwardly toward the central space 24 along respective fold lines (identified in detail below) to form a bottom 40. Upon folding, the flaps 32, 34, 36 and 38 are positioned substantially co-planarly in overlapping and adjacent positions relatively to one another. There are several possible folding combinations used to form bottoms of containers, such as the 1-2-3-4 bottom or the “crash” bottom, all of which are known to those of skill in the art.
Preferably, opposing sidewalls 18 and 22 are formed by two layers of substrate. The outer layer 42 of sidewall 18 is attached to neighboring sidewalls 16 and 20. The inner layer 44 is attached to outer layer 42 along a fold line 120 and is reverse folded along this fold line so that the layers 42 and 44 are in overlying relation. Similarly, sidewall 22 is formed by outer layer 46 which is attached to sidewalls 16 and 20. The inner layer 48 is attached to outer layer 46 along a fold line 110 and is reverse folded along this fold line into overlying relation with layer 46. Sidewalls such as 18 and 22 having two layers are stronger, yielding higher burst strength and crush strength and, thus, allow containers 10 to be stacked to greater depth.
Generally, the sidewalls, flaps and other parts comprising the container 10 are joined together at adjacent edges defined by fold lines formed in the substrate comprising the container. For containers made of corrugated paperboard, the fold lines may be formed in any of a number of ways, such as by cutting, creasing or perforating the paperboard as is known in the art. For economy of reference herein, when an edge of a part of the container is defined by a fold line, both the fold line and the edge are denoted by the same reference character. This does not imply, however, that all edges are necessarily fold lines or that all parts of the container need be joined at fold lines in the substrate.
As shown in
Support flange 50 is preferably integrally formed with its sidewall 16 and extends from a sidewall edge 114 located opposite to the bottom 40 of the container. The support flange 50 is oriented parallel to the bottom 40, thus, positioning support surface 54 to engage and support a container stacked on top of container 10. As best shown in
As best shown in
As shown in
Container 10 is preferably formed from a unitary substrate blank 84, shown in
Moving from left to right in
Sidewall 16 is joined to sidewall 18 along an edge defined by a fold line 100. Flap 34 extends from a lower edge of sidewall 18, that edge being defined by a fold line 102.
Moving again from left to right in
Sidewall 22 is formed from outer layer 46 to which the inner layer 48 is attached along an upper edge defined by a fold line 110. Note that both inner and outer layers 48 and 46 have the removable panel portion 26 defined by the perforations 28. Recesses 74 and 80 are positioned in inner layer 48. Retaining flap 60 is attached to inner layer 48 along an edge partially defined by a fold line 112. When laid out on the substrate forming blank 84, retaining flap 60 encroaches on adjacent support panel 58. If blank 84 is to be a unitary blank, then retaining flap 60 must be cut out from substrate material which would otherwise comprise support panel 58. However, the material available for retaining flap 60 is limited if support flange 50 is to extend across the entire width of sidewall 16. Therefore, retaining flap 60 is limited in size as compared with its counterpart retaining flap 66 described below.
Support flange 50 extends from an upper edge of sidewall 16, that edge being defined by a fold line 114. Support flange 50 preferably runs along the entire length of sidewall 16. Panel segment 56 is attached to support flange 50 along an edge defined by a fold line 116. Support panel 58 is attached to panel segment 56 along an edge defined by a fold line 118.
Sidewall 18 is formed by outer layer 42 to which is attached inner layer 44 along an edge defined by a fold line 120. Recesses 82 and 72 are positioned in inner layer 44. Retaining flap 66 is attached to inner layer 44 of sidewall 18 along an edge defined by a fold line 122. Note that there is no inherent limit to the size of retaining flap 66 since it is cut from the substrate near the end of the blank 84.
Blank 84 is next formed into a knockdown 124 shown in
With reference to
Next, sidewall 18 along with flap 34 is reverse folded about fold line 100 to bring the sidewall into overlying relation with the inner faces 23 and 31 of sidewalls 16 and 22 and the flap into overlying relation with flaps 32 and 38. Note that this action brings inner layer 44 into facing relation with support panel 58, panel segment 56, and inner layer 48 of sidewall 22. Sidewall 20 along with flap 36 is then reverse folded about fold line 92, bringing support panel 64 and panel segment 62 into facing relation with inner layer 48 of sidewall 22, and flap 36 into overlying relation with flap 38. Care is taken that support panel 64 is sandwiched between sidewall 20 and retaining flap 66 during folding. The folding action of sidewall 20 brings attachment flap 86 into engagement with outer layer 42 of sidewall 18. The attachment flap 86 is secured to the sidewall 18 to complete the knockdown 124, shown in
Knockdown 124 comprises a first knockdown wall 126 which includes sidewall 16, flap 32, support flange 50, sidewall 22, and flap 38 in a substantially same first plane 128. Note that support panel 58, panel segment 56 and inner layer 48 (all not shown) may also be considered part of the first knockdown wall 126 and to reside substantially in first plane 128. Knockdown 124 also comprises a second knockdown wall 130, located behind knockdown wall 126 and therefore not visible in
Once the sidewalls 16, 18, 20 and 22 are moved into the right angled configuration, the flaps 32, 34, 36 and 38 are folded inwardly toward the central space 24 along respective fold lines 98, 102, 90 and 94 to form the bottom 40. In the example shown in
With sidewalls 16, 18, 20 and 22 in right-angle relation and bottom 40 formed, the container 10 is now ready to be loaded with merchandise. It is advantageous to perform the loading step before the support flanges 50 and 52 are folded into the final configuration shown in
In the next step, shown in
Similarly, as shown in
Once loaded with merchandise and with support flanges 50 and 52 folded, a top (not shown) is placed on the container 10 and the container is ready for shipping. It is clear that the steps involved in forming the container from the knockdown, filling the container, folding the support flanges 50 and 52 in place and placing a top on the container are relatively simple steps occasioned by the design of the knockdown 124 which allows these steps to be performed rapidly and reliably by automated machinery.
Container 150 differs from the previously described embodiment in that it has cover flaps 152 and 154 which are attached to sidewalls 18 and 22 respectively along upper edges defined by respective fold lines 156 and 158. Cover flaps 152 and 154 are folded downwardly along fold lines 156 and 158 after the container 150 is filled and the support flanges 50 and 52 are deployed into their horizontal position, the cover flaps forming a top for the container 150. The cover flaps 152 and 154 may be sealed closed using tape, or may be adhered to the support surfaces 54 of the support flanges 50 and 52. Preferably, cover flap 152 is integrally formed with sidewall 18 and cover flap 154 is integrally formed with the opposite facing sidewall 22.
Container 150 also has retaining flaps 160 and 162 which are respectively positioned in facing relation adjacent to sidewalls 16 and 20 so as to bias support panels 58 and 64 against or retain them adjacent to their respective sidewalls as they slide downwardly to position their bottom engaging edges 142 and 144 against bottom 40 when the support flanges 50 and 52 are deployed as described above. Retaining flap 162 is integrally formed with sidewall 18 along an edge adjacent to sidewall 20 and defined by a fold line 164. Due to the desire to make the container from a unitary blank 174 (shown in
In preparing a knockdown (not shown) from the blank 174 the procedure is similar to that described previously. Prior to folding the blank to form the knockdown walls the secondary sidewall 166 is separated from cover flap 152 along perforations 176 and adhered to the inside surface of sidewall 22. The secondary sidewall 166 is arranged so that the removable panel portion 170 and the perforations 172 align with the removable panel portion 26 and its defining perforations 28 so that both removable panel portions will separate cleanly from the container. The secondary sidewall 166 is also arranged so that the retaining flap 160 is positioned in overlying relation with sidewall 16 thus ensuring that both support panels 58 and 64 will be biased against their respective sidewalls 16 and 20 by respective retaining flaps 160 and 162.
Containers according to the invention provide a convenient and cost effective item for packaging, transporting and displaying bulk items. Such containers are rugged and reliably stackable and avoid the problems of nesting and collapse from which other containers suffer.
Tibbels, Brian J., Kanter, Allen, Jaffe, Peter S.
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Executed on | Assignor | Assignee | Conveyance | Frame | Reel | Doc |
Mar 21 2003 | JAFFE, PETER S | INNOVATIVE PACKAGING DESIGNS L P | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 044741 | /0109 | |
Apr 08 2003 | KANTER, ALLEN | INNOVATIVE PACKAGING DESIGNS L P | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 044741 | /0109 | |
Apr 08 2003 | TIBBELS, BRIAN J | INNOVATIVE PACKAGING DESIGNS L P | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 044741 | /0109 | |
Sep 23 2005 | Innovative Packaging Designs L.P. | (assignment on the face of the patent) | / | |||
Jan 29 2018 | INNOVATIVE PACKAGING DESIGNS L P | MID-ATLANTIC PACKAGING & SPECIALTIES, INC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 044771 | /0525 | |
Nov 01 2018 | MID-ATLANTIC PACKAGING & SPECIALTIES, INC | MID-ATLANTIC PACKAGING SPECIALTIES, LLC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 047520 | /0731 | |
Jan 26 2021 | MID-ATLANTIC PACKAGING SPECIALTIES, LLC | Royal Box Group, LLC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 055039 | /0048 |
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